From stocking a shelf of holiday goodies to stocking a kitchen to shopping for the perfect Christmas dinner, there’s no shortage of Christmas treats that will make you happy.
So what do you need to make them?
Here are some ideas to get you started.
Christmas snack ideas A lot of Christmas food has come down to two main ingredients, such as nuts and eggs.
But, of course, some of the best snacks are also those that go well with other food.
“It’s about getting a balance of flavours, and of course the nutty ones, so the yummy ones, and the sweet ones,” says Joanne Hickey, who has been studying the relationship between flavours and food since she was a child.
She adds that the nuts are essential, as well as the dried fruit, which can be used to flavour dishes.
“We love the nut nuts, the raisins, and especially the cranberries, which go well in a Christmas pudding.
You can use cranberries and cranberries or raisin and raisina berries,” she says.
And if you’re looking for a festive treat that goes well with everything from Christmas carols to holiday cocktails, try a sweet treat such as a chocolate pudding.
These include Christmas-themed desserts such as the Christmas pudding, which has a chocolate-sugar mix of dried fruit and dark chocolate.
A Christmas-inspired dessert that goes with any of the above Christmas favourites.
What you’ll need: 1.
A bag of dried nuts 1.½ cups (250g) almonds or hazelnuts 1.5 cups (500ml) unsweetened coconut milk (or almond milk) 1 tbsp (15ml) vanilla extract 1.25 tsp (15g) cinnamon 1 tsp (10ml) nutmeg 1.75 tsp (30ml) cardamom, cinnamon or nutmeg pinch of salt or peppercorns Instructions Heat the oven to 180C/350F (140C/150F fan/gas mark 5).
Mix the dried nuts and almonds in a bowl and pour the liquid into a large bowl.
Spread the almonds over the wet mixture, leaving a small gap at the bottom.
Pour in the coconut milk and let it soak for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven and add the vanilla and cinnamon.
Mix it all up, and bake for 20 minutes.
While the almonds are baking, make the pudding.
Pour the melted coconut milk into a saucepan and add a pinch of nutmeg, cardamoms and cinnamon to taste.
Add the almonds to the pudding and stir until everything is combined.
Serve immediately with a spoonful of dried cranberries.
Nut-free Christmas desserts Christmas-friendly snacks such as festive Christmas pudding and the Christmas dessert are some of Joanne’s favourites.
Her favourite is the Christmas-style Christmas pudding with cranberries mixed in.
“You can also do the Christmas treat that is a bit lighter, like the Christmas pie,” she adds.
It’s a dish that can be made with chocolate and peanut butter.
“I have a recipe for that.
You get the cranberry, a lot of it, and then the chocolate chips and you’ve got the cranmer and chocolate.”
Joanne also loves the festive Christmas dessert called the Christmas Cake.
It consists of a light chocolate cake with cranberry sauce, cinnamon and sugar and a bit of nutty-sour cream.
She recommends adding more cranberries than usual to this, and adding a sprinkling of chocolate.
It goes with anything from Christmas cookies to cakes, pies and even fruit-filled cookies.
For more information on nut-free treats, check out our list of nut-friendly foods.